Stake Claiming
by bob parley
Summary: Why Buffy does not trust Faith in season 8, even though she appeared to at the end of season 7.


**Stake Claiming**

As Faith laid in bed, alone for the first time in a month she couldn't help but reflect on what had happened since Sunnydale had been destroyed. They had all taken turns driving the bus (except Dawn, as nobody trusted Dawn with driving).

From there, after sleeping at a few hotels, they had got enough money together to fly to England, where they had gotten to Giles's estate. From there everybody decided to go their own sperate ways for a bit.

Faith couldn't quite remember where everyone went. From what she could remember: Dawn had been sent to some college, which Faith didn't care about. She found Dawn really annoying and tried to avoid her whenever she could.

Buffy was busy with …something. Faith didn't really care. While she respected Buffy as a slayer, her social life was abysmal. Willow had gone off to live in Brazil with Kennedy.

Xander had gone off to Africa to recruit slayers for Buffy. Faith felt sorry for Xander. She still remembered being on the school bus leaving Sunnydale, apologising to Xander for all the stuff she had done to him, while he sobbed about the loss of Anya. Faith could do nothing but hold him until he his sobs subsided and thanking her for being there for him.

Giles was preparing to go to Europe with Buffy to train new Slayers with Buffy. Faith guessed that's what Buffy was busy with, but she didn't think so. She had seen the way that the 2 had interacted ever since they had left Sunnydale, it was like they had grown estranged.

But more importantly, Faith had recently broken up with Robin Wood. She couldn't quite remember why, but it didn't matter.

That left Faith bored. There was no big bad to fight, and she had no-one to have sex with. And she was not a lesbian like Willow, so she couldn't just have sex with one of the potential slayers.

Suddenly, there a knocking at the door. Faith got up and opened the door, where Giles was standing.

"Hello Faith" he said, "Can I come in?"

"Sure G" Faith said, letting Giles come in and closing the door afterwards.

"How are you doing?" Giles asked.

Faith sat down on the bed and looked down. "I don't know" she admitted, "Ever since me and Robbie broke up, I've been bored and I've got nothing to do."

Giles smiled. "I have an idea."

Faith's head sprang up upon hearing this. "What is it?"

"Do you remember the Hellmouth in Cleveland I told you all about?" Giles asked.

Faith snorted. How could anyone forget having fought a massive battle, barely surviving, escaping the Hellmouth as it got destroyed and feeling a sense of accomplishment… just to be informed that there's another one and completely ruining the moment.

Assuming the snort made sense, Giles continued. "Well, I would like you to go there and do what any slayer should do, and fight the forces of evil.

Faith knew the answer before Giles had finished the sentence. "Sure."

Giles smiled. "Excellent. I would give you the money to get back to America, but unfortunately, I need to money to go to Europe with Buffy to train new slayers with Buffy."

Faith simply smiled. "It's OK, I can get to America just fine."

Giles nodded and turned to leave the room, then turned back to Faith. "There's also a certain group of vampires who live near here that I would you to take care of."

Faith raised any eyebrow upon hearing this. "Who are they?"

"They are known as the 'Bondage cult of vampires.' Giles explained. "They capture their victims and proceed to bound and gag them before killing them and drinking their blood."

"How come I've never heard of them before?" Faith asked.

"Because they thankfully never came to Sunnydale." Giles explained.

"OK." Faith replied. "Just tell me where they are and I'll go deal with it before going to Cleveland."

Giles explained where the cult was before hugging Faith goodbye and wishing her the best of luck before leaving the room and closing the door.

Faith quickly got changed out of her pyjamas into something much better and sexier: black leather trousers. Faith just loved the feel of leather as it was quite comfy, and it made her look as hot as hell. She smirked, according to the others, after Faith left, Buffy started wearing leather more often. She also threw on a white gym vest and black boots.

Faith grabbed a small carrier bag and put some essentials inside it, clothes, food, drink, etc. Faith also grabbed a black leather jacket before leaving the room.

Faith went to the front door before putting her bag and black leather jacket there and going to Buffy's room. It was a generic green room that had an old wooden chair and a bed. At the top of the bed, there was a shelf with what Faith had went in there to get: The Scythe.

The Scythe (although it looked more like an axe), embodied the mystical essence of the Slayer and slayers who wielded it can sense its innate power and felt an initial sense of ownership, including Faith.

Even though Faith had only held the Scythe once, it made her feel more powerful than ever before. She knew that if she were to destroy the 'Bondage cult of vampires', the Scythe would be the best thing to use.

"What are you doing?" A familiar voice said and Faith saw Buffy standing there as she closed the door, in a look that mirrored Faith's. Buffy was wearing a black gym vest, red leather trousers and black boots.

"Just borrowing the Scythe." Faith responded with as Buffy closed the door.

"Well you can't." Buffy responded, closing the door.

"Why not?" Faith asked.

"Because it's mine." Buffy said, just as whiny as ever.

Faith decided to not waste time. "B, I don't have time for this. I will return the Scythe when I'm done and leave."

But Buffy refused to budge. "You either give me the Scythe, or you won't leave this room."

Faith began to grow impatient. "B, get out of the way or"

But Buffy Cut Faith off. "Or you'll do what, kill me?

Faith smiled. "No, but I will knock you unconscious and leave you bound and gagged until I return."

"What?" Buffy said, and then began laughing at the apparent absurdity of that statement.

What Buffy had failed to realise however, was that Faith was not joking. And Buffy was laughing so hard, that she did not realise that Faith was standing directly in front of Buffy until it was too late and Faith had punched Buffy unconscious.

"Sorry B, but I'm in a rush" Faith muttered as she put down the Scythe and grabbed Buffy's unconscious body and put it onto the old, wooden chair. Faith quickly got to work binding Buffy's wrists, elbows, waist, thighs, above and below the knees, legs and ankles. She also used extra rope to secure Buffy to the chair.

As Buffy started to wake up, Faith quickly grabbed a ball-gag and gagged Buffy with it. Buffy woke up fully and glared at Faith angrily.

"Bondage looks good on you B" Faith commented.

"How dare you?!" Buffy moaned through the gag.

Faith blew Buffy a kiss. "See you later, lovely." She said, leaving the room.

Buffy struggled for ages but made no progress, the ropes were just too damn tight! Buffy cursed at Faith and decided that if they ever saw each other again, there would be hell to pay.

After putting on her black leather jacket, grabbing her bag and leaving the mansion, Faith arrived and entered the lair of the Bondage cult of vampires and saw multiple vampires dressed as dominatrix's. On torture devices that looked like an 'X', there were victims. Some dead and some alive, all naked.

This treatment of humans made Faith so angry that she did not even come up with a witty one-liner. Instead she charged into battle, decapitating and stabbing all the vampires within seconds, leaving only the leader.

The leader charged at Faith with a sword, with Faith chopped in half with the Scythe before decapitating him, leaving nothing but a pile of dust, just like his followers. Faith quickly freed all the victims, who promised not to tell the police about her before leaving.

Arriving back at the mansion, Buffy had falling asleep from exhaustion from trying to free herself. Faith quickly untied and ungagged Buffy before laying her down on the bed, putting the Scythe in her arms before leaving, looking forward to Cleveland.


End file.
